2 students found unconscious in school parking lot

PITSBURG -Two students were found unconscious and unresponsive in a car at the Franklin Monroe School parking lot Thursday morning.

At approximately 7:30 a.m. the Darke County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call reporting the unconscious two students.

Darke County Sheriff’s deputies, Pitsburg Fire Department and Arcanum Rescue units responded to the scene. Upon investigation it was discovered a male and female student were overcome with carbon monoxide poisoning while sitting in a car in the school parking lot.

One of the students made a call to a parent when she noticed the other student become unconscious. The second student became unconscious before help could arrive. The parent that was notified contacted the school to report there was a problem and when the school staff went out to the parking lot they discovered the two students unconscious in the car.

The male student was transported to Wayne HealthCare by Arcanum Rescue where his condition is not known at this time. The female student was treated by Arcanum Rescue at the scene and released to parents to be transported by private vehicle to a Dayton hospital.

The Pitsburg Fire Department confirmed with a gas detector that there was a significant amount of carbon monoxide inside the motor vehicle the students were sitting in. The vehicle was not running when discovered by school staff, but it is suspected the vehicle was running at some point while the students were sitting in it. Faulty exhaust on the vehicle is the suspected cause of this incident.

The Franklin Monroe School activated their Emergency Action Plan and utilized the One Call system to notify all parents and interested parties of the situation that had occurred and the status of the event. Keeping parents, students and staff appropriately informed during a school emergency is critical to the mission of the Franklin Monroe Schools.

The Franklin Monroe School is located at 8639 Oakes Road near the Village of Pitsburg in southeast Darke County, Ohio.